Display package



Nov. 7, 1967 T. D. GREER ETAL 3,351,182

DISPLAY PACKAGE I Filed Sept. 10, 1965 INVENTOR TOMMY D. GREER LEONARDD. DUNLAI ATTORNEY United States Patent Cfi" 3,351,182 Patented Nov. 7,1967 3,351,182 DISPLAY PACKAGE Tommy D. Greer, Mouldin, and Leonard D.Dunlap, Greenville, S.C., assignors to Texize Chemicals Inc.,Greenville, S.C., a corporation of Delaware Filed Sept. 10, 1965, Ser.No. 486,469 3 Claims. (Cl. 206-44) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Thisinvention relates to a package for merchandise including a display traythat does not require special setting up upon removal from a shippingcarton.

Frequently, when merchandise is shipped to stores for sale withadvertising material or promotional displays, the advertising andpromotional material are discarded. Such are often discarded due to thefact that the stores personnel do not have time to set up theadvertising material and promotional gimmicks or due to the lack ofsufficient space to display them. Even if the advertising material andpromotional gimmicks are set up prior to shipping from a centraldistribution point there remains the problem of satisfactorily packagingsuch material for shipping. It has been found that the products thatrequire the least amount of time and effort by a stores personnel todisplay them upon removing such from a shipping carton normally havepriority as far as choice of display locations are concerned.Furthermore, by shipping the merchandise to stores in display trays orcontainers the manufacturers are insured of proper display of themerchandise.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a trayfor carrying merchandise which conspicuously displays the merchandise.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an attractivedisplay device for merchandise which is easy to package and isautomatically set up upon removing from the package.

A further object of this invention is to provide a display tray withmerchandise thereon which can be conveniently placed on a store counter.

FIGURE 2 is a plan view, with parts broken away, illustrating inextended position the unitary blank which is used to form the displaytray,

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view, with parts broken away, illustrating theunitary blank of FIGURE 2 partially folded forming a display tray.

The drawing illustrates a package for shipping including displayassembly A for conspicuously displaying merchandise B. The displayassembly or tray has an elongated main body portion. The merchandise isremovably carried on the main body portion and is visible to prospectivepurchasers. A resiliently biased support member C having one endattached to the display tray extends outwardly in front of the displaytray. A sign D having indicia thereon is carried by the other end of thesupport member C and is spaced away from the display tray for attractingattention to the merchandise carried on the display tray.

The support member C is flexible enough that the sign can be foldedadjacent the side of the display tray for placing the display tray in aclosely fitting shipping carton E. Thus, when the display tray isremoved from the shipping carton the sign automatically extends out fromthe tray.

The display tray or assembly A is formed from a single blank 10, such aspartially illustrated in FIGURE 2, which may be quickly and readilyfolded to form an elongated tray. The tray A has pairs of alignedtransverse slots 11 for receiving mechandise B mounted on upright cards12. The blank 10 comprises a bottom panel 13 having vertical side panels14 and 15 and vertical end panels 16 hinged by scoring to the edgesthereof. Horizontal top panels 17 and 18 are hinged by scoring to therespective vertical side panels 14 and 15. Vertical inner panels 19 and20 are hinged by scoring to the respective horizontal top panels 17 and18. The vertical inner panels 19 and 20 terminate in horizontal supportpanels 21 and 22 which are attached to the bottom panel 13 by adhesiveor the i like when the tray is assembled. Interlocking flaps 23 andStill another object of this invention is to provide a single blankwhich may be quickly and readily folded to form a rigid box or displaytray which is provided with a sign for attracting attention tomerchandise carried on the tray.

Another important object of this invention is to provide a merchandisedisplay assembly for carrying merchandise thereon having a sign carriedon a resiliently biased support member which can be folded adjacent theside of the display assembly for insertion of the display tray into aclosely fitting shipping carton, and when the display assembly isremoved from the shipping carton the sign carrying advertising mediumand the like will pop-out automatically assuming its normally extendedposition.

The invention will be more readily understood from a reading of thefollowing specification and by reference to the accompanying drawingforming a part thereof, wherein an example of the invention is shown andwherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view illustrating a display tray withmerchandise thereon constructed in accordance with the presentinvention,

24 are hinged to the ends of the vertical side panels 14 and 15. Flap 23is provided with a slit 25 which cooperates with the slit 26 on flap 24to close the end of the tray.

A top end panel 27 is hinged by scoring to the vertical end panel 16 anda vertical flap 28 is hinged to the top end panel for closing the end ofthe tray. The vertical flap 28, when the tray is assembled, fits in theend pair of transverse slots 11 to hold the top end panel 27 andvertical end panel 16 in position.

The slots 11 are each formed by cutting an elongated diamond shapedopening into the top panels and the inner panels. Laterally extendingslits 29 are cut into top panels from the apex 30 of the diamond shapedopenings to the edge where the vertical sides join the horizontal toppanels. Laterally extending slits 31 are also cut into the innervertical panels from the apex 32 of the diamond shaped openings to theedge where the horizontalsupport panels join the vertical inner panels.When the tray is assembled, as illustrated in FIGURES 1 and 3, alignedpairs of transverse slots are formed. The slots have a large opening atthe corner where the inner panels 19 and 20 join the horizontal toppanels 17 and 18, respectively, and taper inwardly toward the bottompanel 13 and the side panels 14 and 15.

The merchandise B is carried in elongated rectangular containers 33which are attached to the upright cards 12 by an adhesive or anysuitable fastening means. The containers are vertically spaced from thebottom of the cards providing a lower vertical portion 34 on the cards,shown in broken lines, which fits into a pair of opposed transverseslots 11. The cards are supported by the base of the container 33 whichrest on the top panels 17 and 18- and the bottom edge of the verticalportion 34 of the cards which rest on the bottom panel 13. Indicia iscarried on the cards 12 and the containers advertising the merchandisc.

A resiliently biased support member C having one end attached to the endof the display tray extends outwardly in front of the display tray. Thesupport member is preferably constructed of spring wire. The end of thewire member C, adjacent the end of the tray, is bent into a laterallyextending U-shaped structure 35. The U-shaped structure 35 whenpositioned between flap 23 and the end of the rectangular structureformed by vertical side panel 14, top panel 17, and inner vertical wall19, holds the support wire C upright. The top end panel 27 is foldedover flap 23 and the U-shaped structure 35 holding the wire in place.The support or wire member C has a bend in the medial portion as at 35aand extends upwardly and outwardly therefrom.

A sign or flag D having indicia thereon corresponding to the indiciacarried on the cards 12 is carried by the free end of the support memberC. The sign may be constructed of two pieces of heavy paper or paperboard, which are fastened together by adhesive or any other suitablemeans. The spring wire C has a portion 36, shown in broken lines,extending between the two pieces of paper for supporting the sign. Thesign is thus held up and away from the front of the display tray forattracting attention to the display tray.

Since the sign D is carried on a flexible spring wire, the sign isfolded adjacent the side of the display tray, as shown in broken linesin FIGURE 1, for placing the display tray in the closely fittingshipping carton E. End flaps 38 of the shipping carton are foldedinwardly to close the carton. When the display tray is removed from thecarton, the sign D automatically pops-out from the carton as illustratedin FIGURES 1 and 3. The display tray can be placed on a counter in astore for use without the proprietor having to assemble it.

While a preferred embodiment of the invention has been described usingspecific terms, such description is for illustrative purposes only, andit is to be understood that changes and variations may be made withoutdeparting from the spirit or scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A package for shipping including: a merchandise display assembly;merchandise carried on said display assembly in an upright position; ashipping carton closely receiving said merchandise display assembly withsame merchandise carried thereon; a resiliently biased support memberhaving one end attached to said merchandise display assembly extendingoutwardly from said display assembly; a sign having indicia thereoncarried by the other end of said resiliently biased support member; saidresiliently biased support member being normally urged into an extendedposition wherein the sign is remote from the merchandise displayassembly for attracting attention to merchandise carried on saidmerchandise display assembly; and said support member and the signcarried thereby being received within said outer container closelyadjacent said merchandise carried on said display assembly, whereby whenthe merchandise display assembly is removed from the outer container,the sign carrying an advertising medium and the like will pop-outautomatically assuming its normally extended position.

2. A package for shipping including: an article display assembly;merchandise carried on said display assembly in an upright position; anouter container closely receiving said article display assembly withsaid merchandise carried thereon; an elongated resilient member ofrelatively small cross-section carried adjacent one end thereof by saidarticle display assembly; an element carrying an advertising medium andthe like carried adjacent the other end of said enlongated resilientmember; and said elongated resilient member and the element carriedthereby being received within said outer container closely adjacent saidmerchandise carried on said article display assembly in such a mannerthat the elongated resilient chandise comprising: an elongated main bodyportion;

oppositely spaced pairs of slots aligned on said main body portion;upright cards having merchandise spaced from the bottom thereofproviding a vertically extending portion below said merchandise, saidcards being longitudinally spaced on said main body portion wtih saidvertically extending portion carried in a pair of transverse spacedslots for holding said cards in an upright position; a resilient supportmember having one end attached to said display tray and extendingoutwardly in front of said display tray; a sign having indicia thereoncorresponding to indicia on said cards carried by the other end of saidflexible support member spaced away from said display tray forattracting attention to said merchandise carried on said upright cards;and said support member being flexible enough that said sign can befolded adjacent the side of said rectangular holder for placing saiddisplay tray in said closely fitting carton, whereby when said displaytray is removed from said shipping carton, the sign automaticallypops-out from said rectangular holder.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,452,257 4/ 1923 Singer et a1206-45 .28 X 3,090,144 5/1963 Malamude 40l24 JOSEPH R. LECLAIR, PrimaryExaminer.

LOUIS G. MANCENE, Examiner.

1. A PACKAGE FOR SHIPPING INCLUDING: A MERCHANDISE DISPLAY ASSEMBLY;MERCHANDISE CARRIED ON SAID DISPLAY ASSEMBLY IN AN UPRIGHT POSITION; ASHIPPING CARTON CLOSELY RECEIVING SAID MERCHANDISE DISPLAY ASSEMBLY WITHSAME MERCHANDISE CARRIED THEREON; A RESILIENTLY BIASED SUPPORT MEMBERHAVING ONE END ATTACHED TO SAID MERCHANDISE DISPLAY ASSEMBLY EXTENDINGOUTWARDLY FROM SAID DISPLAY ASSEMBLY; A SIGN HAVING INDICIA THEREONCARRIED BY THE OTHER END OF SAID RESILIENTLY BIASED SUPPORT MEMBER; SAIDRESILIENTLY BIASED SUPPORT MEMBER BEING NORMALLY URGED INTO AN EXTENDEDPOSITION WHEREIN THE SIGN IS REMOTE FROM THE MERCHANDISE DISPLAYASSEMBLY FOR ATTRACTING ATTENTION TO MERCHANDISE CARRIED ON SAIDMERCHANDISE DISPLAY ASSEMBLY; AND SAID SUPPORT MEMBER AND THE SIGNCARRIED THEREBY BEING RECEIVED WITHIN SAID OUTER CONTAINER CLOSELYADJACENT SAID MERCHANDISE CARRIED ON SAID DISPLAY ASSEM-